Berry basket or box



Sept. 11, 1928. I 1,683,761

E. CRAIG BERRY BASKET OR BOX Filed Jan. 1926 Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD CRAIG, OF ST. JOSEPH, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO SARANAC AUTOMATIC MA- CHINE CORPORATION, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

BERRY BASKET OR BOX.

Application filed January 4, 1926. Serial No. 79,104.

This invention relates to berry baskets or boxes, more particularly to those for use in shipping berries and other fruit or produce in crates and requiring the arrangement of the baskets or boxes in a manner to avoid injury to the fruit or other produce as much as possible.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction whereby a basket or box of the foregoing general character is reinforced and stitl'ened and made very serviceable in use; whereby the bottom of the basket or box has provisions for insuring ventilation, as well as strength and rigidity; and whereby other advantages in the manufacture and use of baskets or boxes of this particular character are obtained, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a berry box or basket embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the blank from which the said basket or box is made.

As thus illustrated, the blank comprises, a substantially rectangular bottom section 1 having crease lines 2 and 3 at the four edges thereof, and having cuts 4 adjacent the corners, as shown. The side wall sections 5 are connected to the bottom 1 by the hinges or flexibleconnections formed by the crease lines 3, and these side wall sections 5 have crease lines 6 which converge inwardly toward the bottom section of the blank, and have crease lines 7 extending parallel with the outer straight edges 8 of these outer side wall sections. The flaps 9 are connected to the side wall sections by the hinges formed by the crease lines 6, as shown, and have cut edges 10, 11, 12 and 13, as shown, the cuts 13 converging outwardly, as shown. This leaves the other sidewall sections 14 of the shape shown, having edges formed by the cuts 12', and having straight outer edges 15, as shown.

When the blank is folded, the flaps 9 overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 1, and staples 16 are inserted to fasten these flaps to the side walls 14, thus forming a box or basket having four sides, which are inclined outwardly, so that the receptacle tapers downwardly when viewed from the side.

It will be seen, also, that the reinforcing strips 17. when folded along the lines 7, are turned down to form a. reinforce at each side of the basket, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, this reinforce extending a distance around each corner toward the distance along the adjacent side of the basket, so that each foot is composed of two portions at right angles to each other, or two bottom edges which are at right angles to each other, at each corner of the bottom of the receptacle. This makes a very strong and rigid bottom construction, and at the same time provides feet to hold the bottom in raised position. Inaddition, four slots are provided in the bottom of the receptacle, by each cut 4, so that the bottom has a slot at each corner thereof, thus forming ventilating openings for the bottom.

The combination of the reinforcing strips 17 turned down as shown in Fig. 1, and the angle feet, for each corner of the bottom of the basket, assures stiffness and strength for the basket or box when the receptacle is in use, in a satisfactory manner, tending to insure a serviceable receptacle with the bottom held in raised position, and with the necessary or desired ventilation for the bottom.

The blank may be made from paper or other sheet material, it will be understood, of any desired character.

Thus it will be seen that each foot of the receptacle is formed partby material cut away from the bottom 1 and part by material cut away from an end wall 14, and as shown and described each cut-away part is of the same length, so that each foot is formed by two right-angle portions of the same length, as specifically shown and described.- Furthermore, the flaps 17 provide basket, and a partial reinforce for the other opposite upper edges of the receptacle, each partial reinforce extending above the straight edges 10 of the flaps 9, in the finished receptacle, as shown and described. Thus the drawings and specification are illustrative of the invention, but the invention is not limited to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A receptacle for fruit or other commodities, comprising the one-piece unbroken bottom wall and the side walls of sheet material, formed froma single foldable blank providing when folded a foot for each corner of the single thickness bottom of the receptacle, each foot formed half by material cut away from the bottom and half by material cut away from a side wall, each foot comprising an edge at one side of the receptacle and an edge at the adjacent side,

extends a distance at each side of each corner of the receptacle. 4

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said feet being formed b cutting the blank in a manner to form a s 0t in the bottom of the receptacle, at each corner thereof, adjacent said feet, and to form a notch in an edge of the adjacent end wall.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, comprising upper edge portions for the receptacle, turned down to form reinforcin portions, each reinforcing portion exten ing a distance each side of each corner of the -reeeptacle, so that the receptacle is reinforced above each portion of each foot at the bottom.

4. A structure as specified inclaim 1, said blank being formed with flaps which overlap at opposite sides of the receptacle, with means'to fasten the flaps in place, each flap having a lower edge which extends downward to one edge of each foot at the bottom.

Specification signed this th day of December, 1925.

- EDWARD CRAIG. 

